Job search websites are an extremely convenient resource, both for those who prefer to avoid the stressful experience of handing over résumé after résumé in person, as well as for those who want to look under every rock to find their ideal job. Thanks to a number of handy filters, company information databases, and countless job listings, these websites have skyrocketed in popularity and use—according to the Pew research center, by 2015 79% of Americans looking for work used online resources in their most recent job search and 34% said that was their most important tool. What’s more, there’s nothing holding you back from using two, three, or as many of these websites as you need simultaneously.
There’s more to these websites than meets the eye though! Thousands of postings litter job search websites, and if you don’t know how to efficiently make use of their tools, you might just end up wasting your time. For those who are planning to use these websites, here are a few tips that could help you in the hunt for the perfect job online.
1. Limit your search
When looking through job postings online, the number of options might seem daunting. Don’t be put off though; job search websites show a lot of openings because they ask for basic fields at first, like title and location. Once the website’s engine runs that initial search, more specific filters such as salary range, company size, and experience level can come into play. With the help of these, you can reduce the number of postings from a thousand to a few dozen. Take advantage of filters to limit the scope of your search until you are comfortable with your results.
2. Be specific
A common practice nowadays is to go to any job search website, upload a résumé, input location and field of work, and then apply for just about every job that shows up. The rationale behind this is that you lose nothing by applying for so many jobs online, and that at least a few will reply asking for an interview, right? Well, if you think this you’re in for a surprise. One of the largest job search websites, Indeed.com, reports that after looking at a month’s worth of applications on their site, people applying for jobs at a higher rate were up to 39% less likely to receive word from employers. This is because applying faster typically corresponds to being careless while filling in each individual application.
Carefully evaluate each job you are considering; not every job has an easy “one-click application.” Applying for every single one you are even mildly interested in is an exercise in futility since the extra work will rarely correspond to greater chances of getting hired. Don’t waste your time applying for positions you are considerably under-qualified for either. Instead, focus on the few job openings that really catch your eye and you feel comfortable applying for. Be selective.
3. Update your résumé
This one should be a given. Regardless of how you intend to look for jobs and whether you are currently employed or not, you should always keep your résumé up to date. Everyone should be regularly adding work experience, educational milestones, newly acquired or improved skills, and updated contact information to their résumé. A sweet spot for this is every six to twelve months, according to Monster career expert Vicki Salemi. This makes it easy to keep track of noteworthy landmarks in your career.
What makes updating your résumé essential for online job searching, in particular, is how companies look at applications. Because companies can get hundreds of résumés online—not to mention those they get through other means—it makes sense employers will only be glancing at them to look for key traits. In fact, about 40% of employers won’t even look at your résumé before putting it through an applicant tracking system first (ATS), a piece of software that will scan résumés for keywords and desired attributes.
This means optimizing your résumé for the purpose of getting through these tracking systems is essential. If you don’t want to deal with that by yourself, there are many résumé builders that provide templates which are more likely to get you through that initial screening process. If you’re interested in trying one out, check our 10 Best Resume Builders before you start applying for jobs online.
4. Use industry or trade specific job search sites
Although job search websites can have hundreds of listings in your specific field, sometimes it takes a specialist to help find the job you’re looking for. Websites such as dice.com for IT and efinancialcareers.com for the financial sector, may have much more information about the companies in their field and the kinds of positions that need to be filled. They might also have insightful advice specifically tailored for people working or looking for a job in their industry.
5. Read up on companies
Not all companies are the same. Some companies only share their basic information on job search websites, while others interact with customers directly through them, replying to reviews and questions. Some accept résumés directly through a job search website, and others may only have job postings to redirect potential employee’s into the company’s own website.
Many job search websites now feature a database of company information that users can access to get a better idea of who it is they are applying to. Make sure to look at the company information of the jobs you are considering. What kind of benefits does the company offer its employees? Is it small or large? Young or old? Does it have negative customer feedback? Does it have negative employee feedback? These are only a few of the questions that the company section in a job search website can help you answer. Take advantage of these resources and discard companies that don’t fit the basic standards of what you’re looking for.
6. Tinker with customized notifications
After signing-up with most job search websites, they’ll automatically start sending you email notifications unless you opt out of them before completing the process. Most people get annoyed at these after getting a few and cancel them. Don’t! One of the secrets to finding a good job posting online in a timely manner is to fiddle with these notifications.
First of all, look for a frequency setting in the website’s notification settings. There, you should be able to choose how often—daily, weekly, monthly—you want to be notified by the website about job openings that might interest you. Then, look for other ways in which you can customize your notifications. Maybe you only want to know about jobs in a certain field. Or maybe it’s salary that concerns you the most, and you need your suggested postings to be in a specific range. Lastly, check if the website can send you SMS notifications so you don’t have to open your email every time you get a notification.
Hopefully, these tips will help you save time and achieve greater success while using job search websites. If you are unsure of which website to use, head on over to our top 10 Job Search Websites for guidance.